2004–05 DEL season


The 2004–05 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 11th season since the founding of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The Eisbären Berlin became first time German Champion, a feat they will repeat a number of times in the next seasons. The Kassel Huskies was allowed to stay in the league, despite losing the play-down, as Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg lost its DEL license.
The season was significant, due to the NHL lockout. 22 NHL players came to play the season in the DEL, with the Iserlohn Roosters making the first move by signing up Mike York. Several German national team players came as well -- Marco Sturm, Jochen Hecht and Olaf Kölzig. Other significant signings included Stéphane Robidas and Doug Weight midseason signups for the previous season champion the Frankfurt Lions. Erik Cole, who would have been playing with the Carolina Hurricanes, was named MVP of the playoffs with the Eisbären Berlin.

Regular season

The regular season was played from September 17, 2004 to March 13, 2005.
TeamGPWonLostGF:GAPoints
1.Frankfurt Lions 523517197:124103
2.Eisbären Berlin523220166:141101
3.Nürnberg Ice Tigers523319188:13195
4.Kölner Haie522923146:12092
5.ERC Ingolstadt523121149:13991
6.Adler Mannheim522626151:15080
7.Augsburger Panther522428150:15476
8.Hamburg Freezers522626133:14876
9.Krefeld Pinguine522526145:15973
10.DEG Metro Stars522428139:15271
11.Iserlohn Roosters522131138:15664
12.Hannover Scorpions522131133:17560
13.Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg 521932134:17458
14.Kassel Huskies521735127:17352

GP = Games Played; GF:GA = Goals for and against

Color code: = Direct Playoff qualification, = Playoff qualification round, = No playoff

Playdowns

The two last placed, Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg and Kassel Huskies played a "playdown" in a Best-of-seven series starting March 18, 2005.
Serie1234567
Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg–Kassel Huskies4:32:00:37:02:40:24:13:2

The Kassel Huskies were set to be relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, but due to the Grizzly Adams losing their DEL license, they were allowed to stay. The Grizzly Adams lost the license as their new Arena was not finished in time, and the old one did not conform to the DEL rules.

Playoffs